For the Love of the League
by coldfiredragon
Summary: Cadmus fears the growing power of the League so Amanda Waller puts a plan into action in hopes of gaining useful information should the League go rogue. Set following the JLU episode Ultimatum
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Cadmus fears the growing power of the League and Amanda Waller puts a plan into action that she hopes will net her information that will aid her organization should the League ever go rogue**

**Rating: T**

**Characters: Batman, Amanda Waller, Superman, Dick Grayson/Nightwing**

**UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU**

She flipped through the pictures in the file for the third time and paused on one, one of a dark haired young man clothed in blue and black kevlar. The kid, well he was a kid, no more than twenty-three and a non-meta. He was Batman's boy. Perfect.

"Batman will not give us information on the League. He helped found it. It would be like trying to ask Superman for help after telling him that I've been working behind the scenes for all these years."

Amanda Waller leveled a glare at Emil Hamilton and spoke. "That is why you are keeping your involvement in Cadmus a secret from the Man of Steel. He still trusts you and we need him to continue doing so for as long as possible. You are too good a source of unwitting information."

"How do you intend to sway Batman's loyalty?" Waller turned to face Eiling with a smirk.

"You should know dear General..." She stopped to thumb through the pictures in her file for a moment before choosing one and throwing the file towards the center of the table. The other images spread out in an arc and she could see glimpses of the same young man in both his 'professional' and civilian attire. "Every enemy has that one crack in their armor." Her smile widened and she placed the image she had selected down on the table for the rest of them to see. "Richard John Grayson Wayne. Alias Nightwing. Batman's adopted son. We have the boy and we should have the father. It's a simple manner of leverage.

Eiling laughed softly and shook his head. "Do we have him in custody?" Waller shook her head.

"The rich boy must see first hand what his refusal to cooperate with us will cost him. Bringing the man's son in should Wayne refuse to help us will be your task General."

Eiling smirked, obviously pleased with his assignment. "One less costumed hero is one less costumed hero."

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

"Keep Windragon sedated Dr. Hamilton. His DNA will continue to deteriorate and we will be able to dispose of him soon enough. Hopefully the second team will last longer." Amanda juggled her bag, phone and keys, and managed to get into her apartment without breaking her conversation. "Yes, loosing Long Shadow to the League was unfortunate. What was I supposed to do? Create an incident in front of the media? He was helping the League save civilians, not helping the rest of his team destroy the building. We will work on his mental state with the next model. The second Long Shadow clone will remain loyal to us and I expect you to make sure of that. Goodnight Doctor."

She shut down her phone and reached to flip the light switch. The incident at the lab with the Ultimen had been a disaster. Luckily they had gotten the clones away before they could be damaged, it would have been far too expensive to rebuild all of their cloning technology. She finally found the switch and flipped it. When nothing happened she cursed and reached for the lamp. A hand clamped over her wrist and she whirled towards her intruder.

"Cloning, genetic manipulation, what next Waller?"

"Rich Boy." Amanda smirked in the darkness as she felt the hand on her wrist tighten at the indication that she knew what identity lay behind the cowl. "That's right. I know exactly who you are."

"How." It was less a question and more a demand.

"I have almost as many resources as you do. Why give up my secrets."

"What is your game Waller?"

"The protection of my country Batman, from the likes of your precious League."

"It would seem that the country needs protection from the likes of you and not from the League." Amanda plowed on as though she had not heard him.

"Gods floating above us and looking down like they can control every last action. That is what we need protecting from Batman." Her voice took a more conversational tone as she continued. "I have never understood how one such as you could stand to join them. You are not a god, you are flesh and blood. What do you stand to gain by looking down on us like you are better than us? I know what the League is capable of Batman. I have seen the scenarios. I know what happened with the Justice Lords on that alternate earth."

"That won't happen here." He released her wrist and she turned to face him fully.

"Are you so certain? My sources tell him that Luthor is preparing to run for the presidency. What will you do if the evil you fight becomes the government? What will Superman do?"

"Superman will not go that far."

"You hope Batman. What if he does? Will that small piece of Kryptonite you care be enough to stop him? What if it is not just Superman? What if Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Martian, what if they all join together? God help us then." She could see his form, outlined in the soft moonlight, tense.

"The League is better than that Waller." She pressed the slight advantage that his voice failed to betray but that his body did.

"You i hope /i the League is better than that Batman, but I sense that you are not sure. You are starting to doubt that the contingency plans you have in place will be enough. Help me Batman. I could use an information source within the League."

Her proposal hung in the air between them and she waited, already knowing the answer he would give and fully ready to activate her contingency plan. Eiling's forces were already in place and Cadmus would have the boy within two hours.

"No." It was so simple, and he said it with such force.

"Remember my words Batman and pray that what you believe is right. The League is too powerful and they i will /i overstep their boundaries. It is simply a matter of time and arrogance." She spoke the words to his retreating form even as a small secret smile threatened to tug at her lips. When he was gone and she had checked her apartment for bugs she removed her phone from her bag and dialed a number.

"Waller?"

"Eiling put contingency Plan 815A into action. I want Nightwing in Cadmus custody within the hour."

"Yes Ma'am." The call ended and Amanda dropped back onto her sofa. Bringing down the League was paramount to the safety of the world. She remembered the scenario reports she had briefed the others on. The League members were too powerful and to take them down she would need a high level informer on the inside.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Bruce could not believe her gull. What had she expected him to say? Turning against the League was something he had no intention of doing, unless they crossed certain lines. There was only so far he would go for them and Gotham still came first in his mind. It was difficult working with a team due to how often it kept him away from his city.

When he had started out he had never planned to do anything but work alone. Dick had changed that, with Barbara and Tim forcing their way into his inner circle almost recklessly. Barbara and Tim kept Gotham in check in his absence and Dick had recently expanded into Bludhaven.

He was almost back to Gotham when a one of the distress signals flared to life.

"B..tm..! I.. nd..r att..k." The static over the communication relay made it nearly impossible for him to recognize Dick's voice.

"Nightwing report."

"..at..n.." The static cut out whatever else the younger hero attempted to say to him and he switched frequencies even as he turned the Batwing towards Bludhaven.

"Batgirl, Robin, activate emergency protocols. Switch to secondary frequencies for all communications and maintain contact." He received affirmatives from both of them and began switching through Dick's communication channels. He got static across all lines. "Nightwing?" The static continued for nearly five minutes before silence abruptly settled over the line. He flipped another switch on the control panel and the radar flared to life, giving him the location of Dick's tracker. It showed no motion and he managed to get a fix on Dick's location before the tracker signal flickered and disappeared. Bruce pushed the plane for extra speed and resisted to let his nerves show in his actions as Bludhaven came into view on the horizon fifteen minutes later.

Soon he was touching down on the closest building he could find that would allow the plane to land.. He had carefully memorized the location of Dick's last transmission and he quickly reached the alleyway. It seemed barely disturbed and he quickly realized that whoever had attacked his son had been trained to do so. Dick probably hadn't realized what hit him until the attack was almost over.

A thorough search of the alley revealed Dick's smashed communication chip and escrima sticks but nothing that would reveal who had attacked the young hero, or any indication of where they would have taken him.

"J'onn."

"Yes Batman?"

"Locate Nightwing." Silence fell over his communication channel and Bruce silently wished that he had put more pressure on Dick to join the League, at least as a reserve member as Harper had done. It would have made finding the young man easier. The channel flared to life again and Bruce pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind.

"I cannot Batman. I am unfamiliar with his mind. What has happened?" Bruce's hand tightened into a fist and he forced himself not to slam his hand into one of the trash cans that lined the alleyway.

"He was attacked at my current location and taken by his attackers."

"I will continue my attempts."

"Do so." Another vain search of the alley revealed nothing new and he headed towards the rooftop where he had landed the plane. When he reached it he settled into the seat and flipped on the communication channels.

"What happened Batman?" Robin's voice.

"Nightwing was attacked and is missing. Emergency protocols are to remain in effect indefinetely. You and Batgirl are to patrol in a team until I see fit to lift them. Begin running a trace program on Nightwing's tracker. I am returning to base."

"Roger Batman." Bruce shut down the relay and slumped into the seat for a moment. He was moving to close the cockpit when a streak of red and blue came into focus beside the plane.

"Batman? I heard the communication with the Watchtower. What do you know?" Bruce reigned in tightly on his emotions and forced calm to show in his face.

"Nothing. Whoever took him knew exactly how to handle him and how to cover their trail. It took me less than 30 minutes to reach his location and the scene had already been expertly stripped." Superman was listening but not looking at him, his gaze focused towards the alley where Bruce had received Dick's distress call. The Man of Steel frowned and Bruce realized that his assumptions about there being nothing useful were correct.

"I do not hear him." That surprised Bruce and a slight worry that Dick might already be dead wormed its way into his thoughts. Only the knowledge that there were ways to block Clark's alien senses kept him from believing that possibility.

"I must return to the cave." Clark nodded distactedly and Bruce closed the cockpit. The short flight from Bludhaven to Gotham ate at him. He wanted to be on the ground, attempting to find his eldest but he had no place to start. He reached the cave in near record time to find Tim in his chair before the computer.

The teen looked up at him and shook his head as Bruce approached.

"Dick's tracker is offline. I don't know where they took him." Bruce could see the frustration on Tim's face and he knew how much a riddle frustrated his youngest student. He indicated that Tim should move and the teen did so after scooping up his laptop. Said laptop was quickly booted up on one of the secondary computer terminals and Bruce knew that Tim was trying to trace each component of their communicators individually. It would be an almost futile search but they both knew the value of keeping busy.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

It had been almost two days since Dick had gone missing and Bruce had barely allowed himself to eat, much less sleep. The three of them, with the help of the League had begun a thorough shake-down of not only the Gotham but also the Bludhaven crime bosses. Not so much as a whisper had turned up no matter what angle they followed. Both J'onn and Superman had kept an eye out for Dick's whereabouts but neither had been able to come up with anything and the two of them had been forced to focus their energies on League matters.

Bruce rested against his chair and closed his eyes, desperately willing sleep away for a few more hours but knowing he would not be able to. Exhaustion had set in heavily after his latest return from Bludhaven and he was beginning to fear for Dick's safety. The fact that his disappearance had gone so smoothly kept him from giving in. Someone wanted his son for something, and they needed him alive. That scared him more than the idea that Dick might be dead. His eyes drifted closed despite his will to keep them open and he felt like he was floating.

The sound of a soft beeping broke the light sleep he fell into and he was instantly awake and staring at the small indicator light that was flashing on the computer's radar maps. The sound of someone on the stairs of the cave distracted him and he was aware of Tim entering the edge of his vision. The teen was almost as transfixed as he was by the sudden reeappearance of Dick's tracking signal that neither of them were sure it was real. Almost as one they were in motion. Bruce honned the computer in on the signal and Tim moved towards his laptop.

"I'll contact the League?"

"No!" Bruce knew that Tim was staring hard at him and he shook his head. "No." He said it softer this time as he scanned the images that the computer was feeding him.

"Why not Bruce? This isn't something we should try to handle alone."

"There is no i we /i I am going alone. It's a trap. They want something from me and they are using Dick to get it. I will i not /i put you, Barbara, or the rest of the League in danger."

"Bruce you can't." Bruce ignored him and started to feed the information he had gathered from Dick's tracker into the Batwing's computer. He stood and was heading for the weapons vault when Tim stepped in front of him. "You need to let the League help you." Bruce pushed Tim to he side and shook his head.

"Whoever took Dick knows enough about the League to prevent both J'onn and Clark from finding him. They will be expecting a frontal assault. I will not put Dick's life in danger by giving them what they expect." Tim grabbed his arm and Bruce stopped.

"At least let me help you Bruce. Please."

"You will stay here in the cave and feed me blueprints and outside data. That is all I can safely ask you to do. If something happens you will not call the League." Tim shook his head in defiance and Bruce turned towards him to catch the teen's arm in a tight grip. "I will go in blind then."

"Fine." Tim's voice was near a shout. "Fine Bruce. Be stubborn, do whatever you think is best and refuse to ask for help." The teen's voice dropped and worry replaced the anger. "I'll do whatever I can to help you. Just don't leave me out." Bruce nodded and headed into the weapons locker.

He exited fully kitted less than ten minutes later. He noted that Tim had already returned to the computer terminal and was busy going over the details of the base that could be gathered by satellite. It would take some digging but Bruce was confident that Tim would be able to get at least part of the information he needed before he reached the desert base in South Western Arizona.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Getting inside had been easier than he had thought it would be which was confirming Bruce's suspicion that the sudden appearance of Dick's tracker had been a setup from the beginning. Tim's voice was soft in his ear as the teen guided him through the maze of underground corridors which made up the base proper.

It was going to be difficult to get Dick out of here but if the place was as lightly staffed as it seemed to be it might not be a problem. The problem would be finding Dick before he was found. There were several areas of the base that Tim had not been able to access and if Dick was here he was likely being held in one of those areas. He was rapidly approaching the largest of those areas and as he got closer the communication chip in his ear started to pick up heavy static.

"Bat..an... loosin... ou..."

"Copy Robin. Cutting signal. Will reestablish communication when out of the black zone." The static was distracting and grating hard on his nerves and the silence of the relay was almost more so. The knowledge that this had to be a setup made the feeling worse. He moved like a shadow through the corridors and allowed his internal compass to guide him towards where he suspected the center of the deadzone to be. He soon found another stairway down. There were two guards at the top of the stairs which were quickly taken out and dragged into a service closet.

As he eased down the stairs the office and lab lined corridors he had been following turned into larger rooms with one way picture windows. All of them were darkened and empty and he moved farther into the maze, being sure to memorize the route he took so he would be able to attempt an escape. A soft glow around a corner caught his attention and he pressed himself against the wall as he moved towards the light source. When he reached the edge he peeked around the corner and froze.

One of the rooms was lit from the inside and he could clearly make out Dick's unconscious form on the table. The young man had been stripped to the skin and he recognized a stasis table when he saw one. The monitors at the side of the room showed Dick's vitals and one of the machines was displaying a spiraling DNA helix. Whoever was behind this was purposely keeping Dick sedated and his senses screamed that this was a trap. He also realized that he was right in not involving the League. He was not about to leave here without Dick either though.

He stuck to the walls and moved towards the room where his son lay. As he got closer he could see the rise and fall of Dick's chest and he allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He knelt in front of the door and removed a set of electronic lock picks from his utility belt. The security panel came off easily but just as he was touching the picks to the internal circuits the corridor lights flared and soldiers poured out of the rooms.

Bruce moved to his feet immediately and was prepared to fight his way through them when a woman stepped into the room behind the men.

"Prompt as always Rich Boy." Bruce's hand tightened into a fist and he heard the metallic crunch as the lock pick broke in his grip.

"Waller." Her men moved to surround him and he launched a roundhouse kick at the closest two. The move disarmed them and he was going to move fully into the fray when her voice stopped him.

"Think of who you might hurt Rich Boy." Bruce sparred a glance towards Dick and froze when he saw two men hovering over the unconscious young man with guns drawn and pointed at Dick's head.

"Let him go Waller. You have me."

"Having you isn't enough now is it Rich Boy? You know what I really want." Bruce's mind flashed to the conversation the two of them had had in her home. His fist tightened and his eyes narrowed.

"I won't betray the League."

"Suit yourself." Waller made a sign with her hand and Bruce could see one of the men pulling back the hammer of the weapon in his hand. He reacted out of desperation and reached for an exploding Batarang. Waller made another motion and the man stopped and raised the gun.

"I'm not afraid Waller."

"It would be futile Batman. The glass would withstand the force of the explosion and you would not be able to get in there fast enough to stop them. You would lose your son in the same way you lost your parents. Are you willing to add that nightmare on top of your already burdened mind? Would your sanity survive consciously letting him die when you had the power to protect him?"

"The League does too much good Waller. Are you truly willing to jeopradize the fate of the world on a few worst case scenarios? The League will not overstep the lines you expect them to."

"Think of what is at stake Batman. I would rather have the world free to wage war against one another than live as slaves to an arrogant group of self proclaimed gods. That is what the League stands to become if arrogance holds too much sway. You have seen the signs, you know what they are capable of." Bruce cut her off.

"They won't go that far Waller. I won't let them." She smiled at him.

"Think about it Batman. I have already told you that Luthor is prepared to bid for the presidency. What will happen when Superman's nemesis becomes the government that the League has sworn itself to protecting? The League acts in absolutes. In Superman's eyes Luthor is evil and the second he sees Luthor acting out he will feel obligated to take matters into his own hands." Bruce felt his hand waver and he lowered the batarang. He hated that she might be right but Clark was too much of a boyscout at times to truly think about his actions. The idea of the US nuclear arsenal in the man's hands was something Bruce did not want to think about and Clark would i not /i think about if Luthor chose to use it..

"Let Dick go and I'll help you." Waller shook her head and sighed.

"Then I lose my bargaining chip Batman and when you fail to give me what I want I would have to go to the trouble of capturing him all over again." Waller moved over to the glass and placed her hand on it. "He really is a remarkable boy Batman. I found it hard to believe that he is completely non-meta until I ran his DNA myself. Imagine what a little gene modification could do for his abilities."

Bruce froze, remembering the incident with the Ultimen all too clearly. He knew exactly what Cadmus was capable of when it came to genetic modification and he knew that it was highly prone to disaster.

"Don't."

"Then cooperate with me Batman. When I have what I need I'll release your son to you."

**UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU**

**Comments appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Cadmus fears the growing power of the League and Amanda Waller puts a plan into action that she hopes will net her information that will aid her organization should the League ever go rogue**

**Rating: T**

**Characters: Batman, Amanda Waller, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Dick Grayson/Nightwing**

**UUUUUUUUUUUUUU**

Tim glanced over at Bruce and tried to ignore the scowl that had become a near permanent scar on his mentor's face. Bruce had been unable to find Dick before he had been ambushed and the inability to find him was quickly wearing on the older man.

Despite his best efforts Tim had so far been unable to pry the details of exactly what had happened from Bruce. He knew that Cadmus was involved and that the organization had attempted to lure Bruce into a trap. While Bruce's communicator had been offline the man had been ambushed but he had managed to fight off his attackers. When the attack had failed Bruce had been forcibly teleported from the base and returned to Gotham via Cadmus technology. By the time Bruce had returned to the base it had been completely abandoned and if Dick had been there it was quickly obvious that he no longer was. Bruce had set him to investigating Cadmus but had not permitted him to contact the League.

Tim somewhat understood his mentor's logic in that. As much as he would have preferred to allow Superman to simply attack every possible Cadmus base he knew that many of the bases he suspected as belonging to Cadmus were most likely American military bases. The second Superman attacked the wrong installation it would make international headlines and the media would condemn the League's actions and the need for Cadmus would be legitimized. He knew that Clark and J'onn were still looking into Dick's disappearance but that was the only aid they were seeking.

If they wanted to find Dick they were going to have to do it on their own and he was going to have to suffer through Bruce's near inapproachable attitude until they did. The man had monitor duties on the Watchtower tonight and Tim knew he would be patrolling with Barbara. The young woman was taking Dick's disappearance almost as poorly as Bruce was but she seemed to push her grief away when they needed to patrol.

Bruce stood and said something into his communications device before disappearing in the shimmer of light that Tim had come to associate with the League's teleporter. When the man was gone Tim allowed himself to relax in his chair. Dick's disappearance was weighing heavily on his mind but he tried to put on a controlled facade for Bruce when the man was present. They needed to be a team, Batman and Robin, and that would not happen if he let his emotions and worries for his older brother show through and impact his work.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Bruce materialized on the Watchtower's teleporter pad and focused his mind on his worries about Dick. He knew that J'onn would be present and that the martian would pick up on his surface thoughts without sensing the rest of his carefully controlled emotions. If anyone was going to figure out that he had been slowly copying the Watchtower's computer files over the last week it would be J'onn.

He wasn't copying everything and he was doing his best to leave out as many details as possible. Things like the latest upgrades to the reactor core were carefully omitted. As were many details about the individual League members. He was also carefully shifting details from the public incident records into the private reports of individual League members. He was not supposed to have access to those files and as long as Waller believed that he could safely hide things away in that fashion.

He only needed to continue this until Tim found where Dick was located. The base where Dick had been kept had been stripped within hours of his forced ejection and he had not been able to pin down the location his son had been moved to.

As soon as he had Dick back he would explain what he had done to Clark and to J'onn and step down from the League. Gotham needed his full attention anyway and he could not justify staying after what he agreed to do. The two heroes would be able to address the security breaches and use the loopholes he had left in the Tower diagrams to their favor. They would not be pleased with what he had done but he was doing his best to make his betrayal as minimally invasive as possible. On top of it all he had realized that Waller had a certain point behind her madness. If the League ever went rogue he would not be able to completely stop it himself.

He approached the computer console and nodded to J'onn. The alien looked pained for a moment before giving him a sympathetic nod in return. The alien walked past him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as he passed.

"We will help you find him and the ones who took him will pay." Bruce acknowledged the alien's concern with a jerk of his head but did not speak. When J'onn had left the bridge for the privacy of his personal quarters Bruce inserted a disk into the computer hard drive and began editing the files he copied. He was unaware of the microscopic shadow who was watching his actions in disbelief and made no notice when that shadow quietly exited the bridge in search of J'onn.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

The second he was out of Batman's possible line of sight Ray went large and hurried towards J'onn's quarters. The others needed to know what Batman was doing and the danger that it put them all in, even if he wasn't sure of what exactly the man was doing. If Bruce was betraying them than why edit the files he was taking? Why would he edit out the most vital details and only take surface data?

He reached J'onn's quarters and knocked. It took a moment but the door finally opened and J'onn stood before him with a quizzical look on his face. Rather than speak Ray brought the memories of what he had just witnessed to the surface of his mind and allowed the martian the ability to read them directly. He did not want to leave anything out accidentally.

J'onn's eyes widened as he took in the details and he nodded. "I will contact Superman." The man concentrated, using his psychic powers to telepathically contact the Man of Steel and inform him of the situation. Concern and disbelief with a dose of caution rippled across the link and the two of them silently agreed that there was more to this than there appeared to be.

"What is going on J'onn?" The martian came out of his mental link and stared calmly at Ray.

"I am not sure yet. Batman's mind is blank to me. The matter will be handled by the senior League members from here on out. We appreciate your concern over the matter." Ray nodded and headed for his own quarters. He did not want to be present when things got bad. He had always respected Bruce but this colored his respect more than he cared to admit and he hoped that there was an explanation that he could accept.

J'onn made his way towards the bridge and tried to read Bruce from a distance. The only emotions he had clearly been able to read over the last week were ones related to Bruce's son and he now realized that Bruce had been using them as a cover. The worry was real, he had no doubt about that but it was being artificially projected, something he should have realized sooner.

He reached the bridge in time to see Bruce pocket a disk and seconds after his arrival Superman shimmered into view on the teleporter pad. J'onn shared the latest information with Clark and he felt unrestrained white hot anger flare in the man's normally docile mind.

"What do you think you are doing Batman?" The anger was barely restrained as Clark spoke and J'onn could see the man's eyes light up with energy. Bruce turned to the two of them and J'onn got was assaulted by several emotions he had not expected, slight anger and almost overwhelming relief. Bruce's face however showed nothing of what he felt internally.

Batman turned to him and moved closer. As he walked he removed the disk from his utility belt and handed it over. As he did so information about files, things that had been carefully edited and things that had been left untouched flooded his mind. i //That is everything I took. Use the details I left out to your advantage./i

"It was Ray who figured it out?" J'onn nodded, surprised that Batman had been able to guess. "Good." i //I had hoped you would figure it out sooner./i

"I asked what you think you are doing Batman." Bruce turned to Clark.

"What I thought was necessary." It was an ambiguous answer on purpose, one that obviously displeased the Man of Steel, and J'onn could see Clark's eyes glowing brighter.

"Superman control yourself. Your unbridled anger will get us no answers." Clark's eyes lost their brilliant red hue and returned to a clear blue that radiated disappointment and betrayal.

"I am resigning from the League." J'onn returned his gaze to Batman and saw that the man had removed his communications equipment and his identification card. There was motivation behind this that J'onn could not pin down. Something was wrong that he was not seeing.

"That's it Bruce. Just betray our secrets and step down. We were supposed to be your friends. We trusted you with our secrets and you betrayed us." The open hostility that was radiating from Superman's mind was overwhelming him and making it nearly impossible for him to concentrate on Bruce's elusive emotions. It was something so completely foreign in Clark's mind and he wondered what could make someone hate so blindly.

Knowing that Clark would not understand, but sensing the necessity of doing so he took the communicator and the ID card from Bruce. "The teleporter will return you to your cave and you will be denied all access to the Tower until a full council of the remaining senior members can be convened to review your actions and decide a course of action." Bruce nodded and he sensed gratitude behind the man's unreadable facade.

"We can't just let him go J'onn. What are you thinking? Or have you betrayed us too?"

"J'onn had nothing to do with what I've done Clark. If you cannot control you emotions long enough to see what is right in front of you and to prevent yourself from making blind accusations than maybe i Waller /i is right about the League growing too arrogant." J'onn heard the clear and deliberate stress on Waller's name and knew that there was far more to this than he was seeing.

"So you are working for Cadmus now Bruce? Is that it?"

"Superman reserve your concerns and present them logically before the council when it is convened." The Man of Steel whirled away from them without another word and exited the bridge in a huff. J'onn blocked his mind against the fading emotions and turned back to Bruce to find that the man had retreated to the teleporter pad. "There are things you are neglecting to speak of."

"Convene your council J'onn. I will not hide from my sins." i //There are things I cannot yet speak of. Thank you for reserving judgment. /i J'onn nodded, hearing what the man was not saying and accepting that he would have answers when Bruce was prepared to give them and not before. He just hoped they were answers he could accept.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

The cave was empty when Bruce was returned to it and he immediately contacted Waller. Anger at himself was chief among his emotions but he kept it deeply buried. He should have better accounted for the Atom's presence and he hoped that being caught before he had gotten the majority of the Tower's files would not put Dick's life in jeopardy.

"Batman you have information for me."

"No."

"Than why call?"

"The Atom was working on the Watchtower computer systems when I attempted to access information. I have been removed from the League until my actions can be reviewed."

"I see." Bruce detected annoyance and anger from the woman on the other end of the line.

"We had a deal Waller. I gave you what I could and I would have continued to give you information had I not been caught. Release Dick."

"As you wish Batman. I have no need of a useless agent." The line went dead and when Bruce tried to make contact a second time he realized the line had been cut. Anger overwhelmed him and he threw the communication device across the room. In that moment, if he had not given up on god when his parents had died, he might have prayed.

He dropped into the computer chair and activated the communication relay to Robin and Batgirl.

"Return to base immediately. Both of you." He needed to tell them the truth about Dick, and about his new status with the League. When he had received and affirmative from Robin he lapsed back in the chair and pulled back the cowl. Being found out in the manner that he had been had crashed through his fragile emotional shields and Clark's anger still held strong in his mind. It also raised flags. If Clark had condemned him so quickly what was to stop the man when J'onn was not present to temper him?

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Tim leaned back in his seat in disbelief and glanced at Barbara. The young woman had turned away from Bruce and stood with her arms crossed over her chest. He could not see her face and therefore was not sure of her exact emotional state. He did know that none of them were taking it well.

After telling them what had really happened in that base Bruce had closed himself off in his normally emotionless shell and the three of them were left with unanswered questions about how they were going to find Dick or if Waller was going to do something to contact them when she released him.

He had no idea how to handle what Bruce had done to the League. It was not like Bruce to step back from his principles. He knew however, that for as much as Bruce and Dick tried to distance themselves from one another they were close. The two of them needed each other and he dreaded thinking about what would happen to Bruce if he actually i lost /i Dick. He had been unbearable enough with Dick missing.

"He'll be okay right?" Tim turned towards Barbara and he tried to find something to say. It was the only question she had asked since Bruce had ordered them back to the cave and explained the details that he had kept from them.

"I don't know Barbara." The three of them lapsed back into an uncomfortable silence that was broken when Alfred returned to the cave with the tea that he had promised them. The elderly man was attempting to hide his obvious concern for all of them but Tim knew how much Alfred cared for Dick, and about Bruce.

"Will you explain what happened to the League when they summon you?" Bruce pursed his lips shut and nodded.

"I betrayed them. They deserve no less than to know why I did so." He was going to speak further when the computer beeped out an alarm in one of the warehouses surrounding the docks. Tim moved to the computer and brought up the information.

"Are we letting the GPD handle this one?" Bruce shook his head.

"We should be on the streets already. The city does not stop relying on us." Bruce had already pulled his cowl into place and was striding towards the Batmobile. "Head out but stay together. Don't go in alone. If the GPD have already responded leave it and resume your patrol. Tim nodded and followed Barbara towards their cycles. If this was the coping route Bruce was taking than they might as well follow his lead.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

The portion of the warehouse below appeared quiet and Bruce eased open the skylight and slipped inside. He supposed that the silent alarm could have been tripped by accident but it seemed unlikely. From his entry point he caught a glimpse of Robin coming in through a window on one side of the warehouse while Batgirl came in from the opposite side.

They met in the middle of the open docking bay and he used hand signals to order them to spread out and search. He moved like a shadow towards the offices with Robin as a tail and began to search the offices on the left side of the corridor while the teen took the ones on the right.

By the time they were halfway done Bruce was starting to believe that whoever had set off the alarm had already fled by the time they got there. He was about to call his partners back when he heard Robin's shout. He was moving immediately and he found the younger hero in one of the offices near the back of the building.

"Dick?" The teen was kneeling beside Dick's unconscious body and relief thundered through his system as he gently pushed Tim out of the way to kneel at his son's side. Dick's pulse was a little too fast for his state and Bruce bit back on his worry as he lifted Dick into his arms. The young man stirred and moaned softly but did not awaken and Bruce silently swore.

They caught up with Batgirl as they made their way out and Bruce stopped long enough for them to regroup.

"Head back to the cave. Patrol will resume tomorrow night instead of tonight." The two nodded and Bruce carried Dick out of the building towards the location where he had parked the Batmobile. Worry dominated his emotions, and fear. He checked Dick's pulse a second time as they reached the car and noticed no difference. It was too fast and he hoped that Waller had not done something to the young man when he had failed to get her the information she had ordered him to get her.

He secured Dick in the passenger seat and drove back to the manor. The brief glances he stole at his son as he drove cemented his fear that something was wrong. By the time he had brought the car to a stop in the cave a light film of sweat had formed on Dick's skin and Dick had started to shiver. He lifted the young man out of the car and carried him over to the medical bay. By the time he had gotten Dick's shirt off Tim and Barbara had returned to the cave and the two of them were hovering nearby as he started to check Dick's vitals.

When he had finished drawing a blood sample he held it up to Tim and the teen took it from him to run it. Barbara approached him and ran her hand through Dick's hair. Dick leaned into her touch unconsciously and Barbara stiffened.

"What do you want me to do?" Bruce did not even know what was wrong with him yet.

"Call Leslie and then take one of the cars from upstairs to go and pick her up. Keep your communicator on. I will call you if she is not needed." The less people underfoot the better he would feel at the moment. When she was gone he stroked his hand down the side of Dick's face and sighed as he reached up to pull back his cowl.

"Bruce." The urgency in Tim's voice pulled him away from Dick's side and he moved over to the lab where Tim was studying the blood sample.

"What's wrong?" Tim looked up at him and he could see confusion written across the teen's face.

"I'm not sure. It looks like a virus but not one I'm familiar with." Bruce studied the image on the screen with growing unease.

"Computer magnify image." The larger image confirmed his suspicions but he had to be sure. "Computer repeat magnification and analyze sample components."

"Analysis complete. Nanoscopic particles not native to the bloodstream detected." Bruce's hand tightened into a fist and he resisted the urge to slam his arm through the computer console.

"Computer run DNA sequencing for Richard Grayson and compare with the sample." Thirty seconds later the computer finished.

"Partial DNA match detected. Computations suggest 98 compatibility." Bruce could feel his hands shaking and he forced them to be still as he dropped into the chair in front of the bat-computer.

Within seconds he was attempting to hack into the Watchtower communications feed. J'onn's image flared to life.

"Batman you are not authorized to access Tower channels. State your purpose or I will feed a virus through the connection."

"I need you, The Atom, and Clark to teleport to my location. I need Ray's help and I need it now. I'll give you the answers I could not before when you arrive." Bruce glanced towards Dick and back at the image on the screen. "I don't expect you to trust me after what I've done but I need your help." J'onn was silent for a moment and Bruce expected his request to be denied.

"Understood Batman." The communication link closed and Bruce leaned back in his chair and glanced over at Dick before allowing his gaze to flow to Tim. The teen looked uncomfortable and bewildered.

"What's going on Bruce? What is happening to Dick?" Bruce took a breath and tried to steady his nerves.

"Waller threatened the possibility of attempting DNA resequencing if I refused to help her. I failed to get what she wanted and she followed through with her threat." He stood and walked over to the medical table, placing both hands on the edge of it and looking down at Dick. He didn't speak for a moment and was about to say something when three forms shimmered into view near the computer.

J'onn looked willing to hear him out, Ray looked reluctant to be here, and Clark looked on at him with open hostility until the man's eyes settled on Dick and he detected Dick's irregular heart rate. The man took a step towards him and Bruce held up his hand.

"Don't Clark. I don't expect you to trust me. J'onn I need you to link your mind with them so they can see what I am going to show you. I only want to show it once." The martian nodded and concentrated and when J'onn gave him the signal to proceed he brought his thoughts to the front of his mind. He kept everything in as linear a sequence as possible and began with the meeting in Waller's apartment, following with Dick's disappearance and the subsequent meeting in the Cadmus facility. He also shared what he had taken and how he had modified it and ended the walk through his memories with what had happened that evening.

As the four of them came out of it Ray approached the table and reached out to touch Dick's arm. "What do you want me to do?"

"Reprogram the particles that are responsible for resequencing his DNA. Reverse whatever was done to him if possible." Bruce stroked a hand through Dick's hair. "If you can't reverse it then do what you must to stabilize him." Ray nodded and disappeared as he shrank. Bruce turned to Clark and J'onn.

"You know why. I don't expect to be welcomed back into the League. I will accept whatever corrective action the senior council deems appropriate."

"Why didn't you ask us for help Bruce? We would have done what we could."

"The two of you were already searching. Involving the whole League would have done no good and too much interest would have tipped Waller off that I had informed you. I made a calculated gamble and it failed. My only comfort is that I believe I gave her only a small portion of the League's files, much of which she already had. She knew my identity which means someone else is spying on us." Bruce saw Clark's hands tighten at his sides and the man looked more angry that Bruce had seen him.

"I'm going after Waller. She can't be allowed to get away with this."

"No Clark." Confusion and anger spread across the Man of Steel's face.

"After what she did to Dick? Your son! How can you stand by and defend her?"

"The League can't touch her Clark. That is why I did not involve you directly. What would you had done if I had told you sooner, when Dick was still missing? If I had had settled on a possible location where they might have been keeping him and it had been the wrong place. You are a reporter Clark. Think about what would it have looked like to the media? I could not risk the League's integrity by risking the destruction of non-Cadmus property, of an American military base or civilian property. It would have legitimized everything Waller already thinks about the League in the eyes of the public."

He would have said more but Dick jerked and cried out softly. Bruce paled and reached out to touch Dick's neck at a pulse point. There was nothing he could do to help the young man and he hated feeling helpless. Dick twisted again Bruce found himself stepping aside as Ray enlarged beside him.

"What's wrong with him?" Bruce's eyes were little more than narrowed slits as he glared at the man.

"I was unable to reverse the process but I was able to stabilize it. The nanites will further stabilize, then deteriorate and pass out of his body through his pores. He'll be okay Bruce and if I'm right..." Ray reached for a knife that lay one a nearby tray and reached for Dick's wrist. Before Bruce could stop him the man had created a small gash in Dick's hand. The cut welled blood for a moment and then miraculously started to close. "...He got very lucky."

Bruce was torn between anger at Waller for putting Dick through this and relief that Dick seemed to be, at least for the moment, stable.

"Will you continue to periodically monitor his condition?" Ray nodded.

"I would not let him go out until the two of you are sure of whatever changes have taken place but so far what change I've noticed seems to be overly positive." Bruce nodded again and stroked his hand down the side of Dick's face. For now he would allow relief to dominate his emotions.

"The three of you may return to the Tower. Ray I will contact you if I suspect he is no longer stable." The man nodded and as they were preparing to teleport out Bruce stopped them. "Thank you Ray, and J'onn I will accept responsibility." The Martian nodded and Clark walked over to him.

"I intend to pay Waller a visit. I doubt Cadmus would appreciate an exploratory piece in the 'Planet'." Before Clark could walk back to he others Bruce caught his wrist.

"She most likely already knows, and not because I told her. J'onn should check the Watchtower staff for someone else who might be feeding them information." Clark and J'onn both nodded and the three of them disappeared.

When they were gone Bruce contacted Barbara to tell her that Leslie would not be necessary and indicated that Tim should head upstairs to rest. He then dragged a chair over to the table Dick lay on and made himself as comfortable as possible. When Tim had gone up upstairs he allowed himself to doze lightly until his senses picked up Dick stirring beside him.

"Dick?" The young man's eyes fluttered open and Bruce could tell that he was still in a great deal of pain from what he had gone through.

"Bruce? What happened?"

"You need to rest. I'll explain later." Dick nodded and Bruce stood to prepare a sedative. It would allow the youth to hopefully rest without the pain he was obviously trying to hide. Dick quickly drifted back off and Bruce hoped that he did not cross paths with Amanda Waller until his anger towards her had cooled. He knew that if he faced her now he would most likely do something he would regret. At least what she had done seemed to have positive consequences. Bruce just hoped that they would stay that way.

**UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU**

**I've finished this for now but I might do more if I get enough interested parties so let me know what you think of it. Comments are appreciated.**


End file.
